It’s finally here- Week 4 of the 2023 season, and the third DraftKings main slate. We are back offering you DFS advice to try and help you navigate your way to victories throughout the season. The players selected here are based on their price, their ability to hit value and likely ownership. The selections are leaning more towards GPP slates, rather than cash (50/50) slates. But let’s get into it
Justin Fields v DEN ($6,600)
Panic alarms are ringing in the windy city, and rightfully so after Chicago’s 0-3 start to the season. The defeats, whilst tough to take, can almost be accepted. But it’s the nature of these losses and the performances on the offensive side of the ball that will have Bears fans justifiably concerned. Justin Fields managed a mere 99 yards in the blowout loss to the Chiefs last Sunday and has seen his total passing attempts decrease week on week. However, he did manage a season-high 11 rushes for 47 yards. Fields has been priced down $1100 since the Bears opening contest of the season and his ownership will be at an all-time low. He now gets to face a Broncos unit that gave up 70 total points to Miami and 8 total TDs to their running backs. This has to be a get-right game for Fields…right?
Joe Burrow @TEN ($6,500)
After a rough opening couple of weeks, Cincinnati finally got in the win column with a scrappy victory over the Rams on Monday Night Football. While Ja’Marr Chase managers were delighted by the two-time Pro Bowler’s output, those who rostered his quarterback would have been less than enamored. Burrow’s calf injury was clearly still bothering him Monday night, but the 2019 Heisman winner still recorded a season-high in passing attempts. Completing 26 of the 49 for 259 yards. Joey B only has 2 scores on the year, both against Baltimore in week 2, but this week the Bengals travel to Tennessee to face a Titans defense allowing 300 yards per game to opposing QBs. At $6500 this may be the cheapest we see Burrow all season, start him with confidence.
C.J. Stroud v PIT ($5,600)
Another week, another exemplary performance from the rookie. Stroud is making this look easy, through his first 3 career starts he has thrown for 906 yards and 4 touchdowns, and despite coming up against a much stouter Steelers defense this weekend, he is still a great DFS play at only $5600. He has quickly found a rhythm with receivers Nico Collins and fellow rookie Tank Dell, and until we see his pricing go north of the $6000 mark, my Stroud exposure week to week will be high. The Texans rookie signal caller is a great foundational piece if you’re looking to spend up on McCaffrey, Jefferson, or Tyreek Hill this week.
Also consider Justin Herbert v LV ($7,800), Anthony Richardson v LAR ($6,700) & Brock Purdy v ARI ($5,900)
Zach Moss v LAR ($6,000)
As talks surrounding Jonathan Taylor’s return start to intensify, Zach Moss continues to get work done as the bell cow in the Indianapolis backfield. In the week 3 OT win away to Baltimore, Moss saw 30 rushing attempts, putting up 122 yards in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, the former Buffalo Bill added a further 23 yards on 2 receptions. Moss has scored over 20 fantasy points on DraftKings in both his outings this season with only 1 touchdown contributing to his numbers. His floor is very high and no limit on his ceiling. The Rams will have to be wary of the returning Anthony Richardson and his threat with his legs, potentially opening up even more opportunities for Moss. He’s a steal at $6000 this week.
Alexander Mattison @CAR ($5,800)
Alexander Mattison is the perfect player for DFS managers; we simply pick and choose when to roster the Vikings “lead back” on any given week and leave him out of our lineups when he burns us (Hi, my name is Paul and I’m an Alexander Mattison Redraft manager). To say Mattison got lucky last week would be an understatement. His lack of ball security was exposed on numerous occasions, only to be saved by some very questionable calls from the officials. But if the fumbles don’t count in-game, they don’t count for fantasy. And after a rough couple of drives in the 2nd quarter Mattison put together a respectable overall performance on the week. Cam Akers will enter the fold this week against Carolina, but this is still Mattison’s backfield, and he now takes on a unit that just allowed Ken Walker to amass 156 total yards and 2 TDs. I’m rolling the dice one more time.
Miles Sanders v MIN ($5,800)
On the other side of the ball to Alexander Mattison is Carolina lead back Miles Sanders. The former Eagle only saw 9 carries in week 3 but did find the end zone for the first time this season as well as seeing a very healthy 9 targets as part of the passing game. Sanders has handled 77% of the rushing attempts in the Panthers’ opening 3 outings, with this number sitting at 88% in week 2 and 90% in week 3…he is the guy in Carolina. The Vikings held Chargers backup Joshua Kelley to only 12 yards on 11 attempts last time out, but were torced by D’Andre Swift for 175 yards and a score in week 2. Sanders was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but if he is full go for Sunday, he’s a solid start at $5800.
D’Andre Swift v WAS ($5,700)
DraftKings released the pricing for this week’s slate before the Eagles victory over Tampa Bay on MNF which goes some way to explaining D’Andre Swift being priced up at $5700 for the matchup versus Washington on Sunday. Swift has been explosive in his 2 starts so far for Philly. Despite splitting carries at a near 50/50 rate with Kenneth Gainwell, he has been the far more effective back with the touches he’s been given. The Commanders are a middle-of-the-pack rush defense, but at only $5700, Swift is a must-play in lineups this weekend.
Also consider James Cook v MIA ($6,300), Alvin Kamara v TB ($6,100) & Javonte Williams @ CHI ($5,500)
Chris Olave v TB ($7,100)
Despite not scoring a touchdown yet, Chris Olave is the WR12 on the season in PPR scoring. The sophomore pass-catcher out of Ohio State leads the Saints in targets, reception, and yards and will be looking to get off the mark in the touchdown department this week against the Bucs. New Orleans starting quarterback Derk Carr looks set to miss multiple weeks with a shoulder injury, so it will be backup Jameis Winston under centre. Winston can air it out and Olave should continue to be the teams main weapon in the passing game. Olave’s failure to get into the end zone so far this year, coupled with a change of quarterback could have managers fading him this week – but at home, in the dome, Olave should return great value at $7100, especially if he finds paydirt.
Tee Higgins @TEN ($6,800)
Anyone who watched the Bengals victory on Monday night can be forgiven for not wanting to roster Tee Higgins this week. For the second time this season the 4th-year wideout received 8 targets from Joe Burrow, and for the second time this season fantasy managers were left bitterly disappointed at what the Bengal’s WR2 did with those opportunities. In Higgins’ defense, his 2 receptions in week 3 was a significant improvement from 0 in week 1. However, that will be of no comfort to those who paid $6700 to roster him last time out. Bizarrely, after another down week Higgins has been priced up $100, a move that will no doubt see Higgins faded across the board by managers. Cincinnati travels to Tennessee to take on the Titans and their porous secondary in week 4; at $1000 cheaper than teammate Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins is a strong contrarian play in a favorable matchup.
Puka Nacua @IND ($6,700)
After a historical start to his rookie season, the Puka Nacua Express slowed down somewhat in the Rams week 3 defeat to the Bengals. Following target totals of 15 in week 1 and 20(!) in week 2, Nacua saw only 7 looks from Matt Stafford on MNF, leading the team in yardage for the 3rd straight week. With Cooper Kupp potentially returning from IR next week, this may be the last chance to roster Nacua as a true WR1 in your lineups, and with his usage coming down significantly in week 3, fantasy managers may be looking elsewhere at the position. His salary may have more than doubled since week 1, but Puka should see plenty of work against a Colts defense ranked 26th against wide receivers.
Courtland Sutton @CHI ($5,300)
It would be easy to disregard the Broncos historic week 3 blowout loss to the Dolphins as an anomaly and overlook some of the narratives. However, in doing so we would miss that Courtland Sutton again outpaced Jerry Jeudy in targets, receptions and yards for the second outing in a row. Jeudy missed Denver’s opening game defeat against the Raiders through injury and will see more looks as the season goes along, but for now Sutton is the WR1 on this offense. The winless Broncos travel to Chicago to face another 0-3 team, and will be looking to get off the mark against a Bears team that were swept away by Patrick Mahomes and company before the half-time whistle last week. At $1300 cheaper than team-mate Jeudy, Sutton is a no-brainer if you want exposure in this one.
Also consider Michael Pittman Jr v LAR ($6,600), Jakobi Meyers @LAC ($5,500) & Quentin Johnston v LV ($3,700)
Mark Andrews @CLE ($5,400)
The Cleveland Browns are the top-ranked defense against the tight end position so far in 2023 allowing only 26 yards to opposing TEs in the opening 3 weeks. Regardless of who the Browns were squaring off against, those are mightily impressive numbers. But Irv Smith Jr, Chig Okonkwo, and Pat Freiermuth are not in the same class as Mark Andrews. Andrews posted a modest stat line of 4 receptions for 35 yards last week against the Colts. This relatively disappointing output, coupled with the matchup may result in a number of fantasy managers staying away from the 6th year veteran. On a week where the TE position again remains unclear, $5400 is just too tempting a price to fade Andrews, regardless of who he’s playing.
George Kittle v AZ ($5,100)
Rostering any offensive player outside of Christian McCaffrey can pose a headache in San Francisco…unless that is, one or more of them are hurt. At time of writing, Deebo Samuel has yet to practice this week (**editors note: he did log a practice on Friday**) with separate knee and rib injuries. After missing week 3, Brandon Aiyuk is still banged up with a shoulder injury and limited in practice. Should either, or both, of Deebo and Aiyuk miss out on Sunday, George Kittle moves into “must roster” territory against the Cardinals. The charismatic tight end has a clear connection with quarterback Brock Purdy, and is a clear favorite target of his, coming off the back of a 7 reception/90-yard performance in week 3. Expect Kittle to see a massive workload at home to Arizona if either 49ers wideout doesn’t suit up Sunday.
Also consider Pat Freiermuth @HOU ($3,400) & Dalton Kincaid v MIA ($3,200)
Cincinnati Bengals @TEN ($3,800)
This is less of an endorsement on how good the Bengals defensive unit is, and more of an indictment of how bad the Titans offense has been so far this season. Ryan Tannehill has been held to just 548 combined passing yards in Tennessee’s opening 3 contests, with the run game not faring much better. Derrick Henry was limited to only 20 yards up by the Browns last time out, and should the Bengals also keep King Henry in check, they will stroll to a victory in this game. At almost $1000 cheaper than the 49ers this week, the Bengals are a smart play.
Denver Broncos @CHI ($3,700)
How can it be possible that a defense that only last week gave up the second most points in the history of the NFL, gets priced UP $1200 on this week’s slate. The answer: they are playing the Chicago Bears. Understandably fantasy managers will heavily fade the Broncos DST after being embarrassed to the tune of 70 points last time out against Miami, but this is a relatively solid defensive unit and now get to take on one of the worst offenses in the NFC, if not the entire NFL. Paying $3700 for Denver after last week may sound absurd, but there is value to be had when the Broncos march to Soldier Field this weekend.
Also consider Los Angeles Chargers v LV ($3,100) & New England Patriots @DAL ($3,000)
Remember you can find our other DFS content here. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server.
Image Credit: Bob Donnan – USA TODAY Sports
